CERTIFIED THIEF

HANDING OVER CEREMONY

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    It was a bright Thursday afternoon. Three-pillar multipurpose hall was occupied to its brim. Everyone was putting on a green polo shirt and a pair of black trousers or skirt, as the case may be. The hall was a large one. It has about eleven exits and many widows. The hall has other ventilators too. There were a lot of colored curtains and a beautified dais. At different corners of the hall were beautiful flower vases. The hall also had a lot of inscriptions, plastic chairs, plastic tables, bulbs, microphones and other electronics.

   In the exterior part of the hall was a park which contained many merry-go-rounds, seesaws and other sporting facilities. There was an ice-cream joint beside the park. The toilet was located beside the lawn tennis court. A flag was also located beside the fence which travelled round the hall. There were ornamental crops that added to the beauty of the hall.

    The three-pillar hall was created about thirty years ago and different wins have been recorded. Its workers were selfless and they received a lot of jackpots. The hall also hosted a lot of crowded events.

    A man with a low cut hairstyle and grey beard which was as white as the snow, climbed the dais. He was dressed in a green polo shirt and a pair of black trousers. He was so cute that everyone was interested in what he wanted to say. He clutched the microphone and began. “Thank you all for gracing this handing over ceremony. May we reach our homes safely.”

“Amen!” the crowd screamed.

    He led the opening prayer and the audience replied with a resounding Amen. He finally dropped the microphone after he beckoned the crowd to remain silent. He walked slowly in the direction of his seat as another man walked in the direction of the dais.

    Standing on the dais was an averagely tall man. He wasn’t as cute as the former one. He was also putting on a green polo and a pair of black trousers. He clutched the microphone and introduced himself as the master of ceremony. As he talked, the audience rewarded him with claps and screams.

    He pleaded for the claps and screams to die down before he continued. “At this juncture, we want to welcome some dignitaries to occupy these seats.” He gestured. He called out the dignitaries' names from a piece of paper he was holding with his left hand. Without any hesitation, the concerned fellows walked in the direction of the seats.

   The Master of ceremony, who introduced himself as Wesley, waited for the dignitaries to sit down before he continued. He beckoned everyone to remain silent as he glanced through the white paper in his hand. “Now, it’s time for the pioneer of NSH to give his speech. A round of applause for him as he saunters forward.” NSH was an acronym for Nolan’s Specialist Hospital.

   Milo smiled suspiciously from where he was sitting. He stood up from his seat and walked in the direction of the dais amid the claps and screams. He was the only one dressed differently, he was putting on a cyan long-sleeved shirt and a pair of white trousers. He was putting on his pair of shoes and lenses too.

    Doctor Milo collected the microphone from the MC with head bowed. He pleaded for decorum to rent the hall and when he was pleased, he gave out the speech. He was a man of little words, so he glanced through the piece of paper he was clutching and read out his speech gently. 

    As the wit gave his speech, the crowd listened to him painstakingly. He read the speech out without fluctuating. He gazed at the crowd from time to time to see if they were following him. “Thank you all for coming and enjoy the rest of the event!” these were his last words before he gave the microphone to the MC. The crowd clapped for him as he walked back to his seat, clutching the piece of paper.

    The MC cleared his throat and cracked some jokes. The crowd laughed and exposed the arrangements of their teeth. The MC called other dignitaries to give their speeches and they spoke excellently.

“We have a knife, a rope, an altar, but we don’t have a ram.” He smiled before he continued. “It’s time we invited the pioneer to tell us who he would be handing over his hospital to. A round of applause for him as he comes forward.”

    The crowd clapped their hands and screamed as Milo walked in the direction of the dais. They were in suspense and wondered who would receive the post. The doctors and nurses of NSH weren't left behind. They wondered who their boss would nominate among them. 

    Out of humility, Milo collected the microphone with head bowed. He smiled and waited for everyone to remain silent. All eyes were on Milo as he released three words into the microphone. They hoped he would talk very fast.

    Suddenly, Milo dropped the microphone and walked in the direction of one of the doors. The audience whispered to themselves, as they didn’t know the reasons behind Milo's behavior. 

    Milo knocked on the door of a car. He ordered the occupant to come out of the car. The occupant wound down the glasses and alighted from the car. He cuddled round his shoulder and they walked in the direction of the hall.

    The audience, constellating around the plastic tables, gazed at them as they climbed the dais. They wondered who the young man standing beside Milo was.

    Milo clutched the microphone, he held the young man’s hand with his left hand. “Here is my successor,” he said, and raised the young man’s hand up. The people were flabbergasted and one doctor questioned Milo why he would just bring an anonymous person into the hall.

    Milo smiled. “Doctor Colton, please, have your seat. I know everyone is surprised. This is my son and he owes my affluence. My hospital is one of his heritages.”

    The audience were bewildered by Milo’s words. They never knew he had a son, because he had kept his son a secret for so long.

“With due respect, sir, you never told us you had a son. Don’t play pranks with us.” Doctor Samuel said. He was fondly called Doctor Sammy and he was one of the hospital's dermatologists. He was an outspoken man and a soothsayer.

    As soon as Doctor Sammy finished his words, tears dropped from Maverick’s face. Milo pacified him by cuddling round him, while the audience gazed at the drama being displayed on the dais.

“This is Kai Maverick, my only surviving son. He is thirty-year-old,” Milo began. The crowd gazed at him as they knew he was about to reiterate the events of the past.

    Milo told the crowd everything that was connected to the loss of his son. The crowd was painstaking as he spoke. However, after talking for about ten minutes, Milo put on his pair of eyeglasses and took away the microphone from his mouth.

    Cameron mounted the dais exuberantly. He collected the microphone from Milo. “I can attest to everything Doctor Milo said today. We've been friends for so long, so I know everything about him. I don’t want you to blame my boy, Maverick, for running away from home. He did what any child could do and it really paid him. My daughter will be getting married to Maverick by next month and we invite you all to come and share in our joy. The invitation cards will be shared before this event ends.”

    Everyone was captivated by Cameron’s words, but nobody could utter a word. Cameron dropped the microphone gently, he whispered to father and child and they walked in the direction of their seats.

    Some people were happy that Doctor Milo had a son, while others were jealous and they showed this by grimacing.

“Ensure you wait for your food. We have it in surplus.” These were Wesley’s words after the benediction. The carhops went round and served the audience. The orchestra displayed. They started with a lullaby and then switched into matured songs.